17 Gaming Secrets Only Losers Discover

Failing in a video game is usually more frustrating than fun, as doing so can force players to forfeit progress and repeat sections that might’ve taken them hours to complete. For example, having to restart a multistage boss battle because of a simple mistake.

But, what if messing up actually leads to revealing something otherwise unseeable, such as a different Game Over screen; a cool pop culture reference; or a silly or sinister alternate ending? In other words, what if there were gaming secrets that only losers – in the most literal sense – could discover?

Actually, there are far too many of them to count, so we’ve compiled over a dozen of the strangest and most alluring ones below!

To be clear, we’re not talking about taking shortcuts or breaking a game to find something hidden while still winning (such as having Ajay remain at Pagan Min’s place until Min returns and everything is automatically resolved in Far Cry 4).

No, we mean things that the developers only wanted you to see if you did something so catastrophically wrong that you couldn't succeed afterward. Think of it as being rewarded for taking a risk or getting a consolation prize for screwing up beyond repair!

As the following examples prove, sometimes it’s worth seeing what lies on the other side of losing.

Despite having only a few entries in the series thus far – Dishonored, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, and side story Deathloop (yes, they're technically in the same universe) – the Dishonored franchise is beloved for giving gamers plenty of freedom in deciding how to achieve or ruin certain goals, interactions, and the like.

Sometimes, one possibility is surprisingly cheeky. Take, for example, protagonist Corvo Attano’s potentially voyeuristic and abusive interaction with a bathing Callista Curnow during the original Dishonored.

You see, Corvo works with a band of activists called the Loyalist Conspiracy to ensure that the daughter of the assassinated Empress of the Isles, Emily, is able to take her mother’s place. Callista is Emily’s custodian, and naturally, she and Corvo have plenty of time to get to know each other over the course of the adventure.

That is, as long as Corvo doesn’t overstep his bounds while Callista is bathing at the Loyalists’ headquarters: Hound Pits Pub.

If Corvo barges into the bathroom while Callista is in the tub, she’ll question his intentions. If he asks if she wants company, she'll tell him to leave her alone, and if he instead jumps into the tub with her, she’ll panic and a game over screen will clarify: “The Loyalist Conspiracy is dissolved due to irreconcilable hostilities.”

Not cool, Corvo. Not cool.